


like roses

by deadbeatfreak99



Category: A.C.E (Beat Interactive Band)
Genre: Bad Pick-Up Lines, Childhood Friends, Confession, First Kiss, Fluff, M/M, Pining, Secret Crush, Sehyoon is whipped, byeongkwan is a soft ball of sunshine, slight dongjun if you squint, very self-indulgent
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-09-30
Updated: 2019-10-06
Packaged: 2020-11-08 07:18:24
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 8
Words: 5,110
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20831531
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/deadbeatfreak99/pseuds/deadbeatfreak99
Summary: ❝Roses are red, my face is too, but it only happens, when I'm around you.❞《In which Byeongkwan discovers pick-up lines and is intrigued by the way Sehyoon blushes at hearing them.》





	1. ➊

**Author's Note:**

> originally completed on wattpad 22/06/2019
> 
> spotify playlist link: https://open.spotify.com/user/ltmv1akncmgjlstc4y6lcnhit/playlist/448vuqQGWJ4nv7201y1UzL?si=kSdcQ5NUQk2QRFebpz4Heg

Sehyoon, to put it blandly, was a mess. A confused, questioning everything he knew about himself and his life, mess.

Perhaps this was normal for people his age, his mother always going on about how teenage years are rough and a period of changes with the addition of growth, his father nodding in the background as he'd carry on watching a quiz show being aired on channel six － but was it like this for everyone?

He'd soon be turning eighteen, which meant that this would be his last year in highschool and he'd be tossed into the grown-up world, like a fish yanked out of his comfortable bowl and dumped into an infinite ocean. He'll technically be an adult, and yet he still feels like a bewildered child, as if he knows nothing of himself at all.

Sehyoon could very possibly be overthinking things. Maybe he had it all wrong, but how would you react if the boy you've practically spent most of your life with as best friends, have done the wildest－ and strangest － things with, gradually became touchier with you, whispering cheesy pick-up lines in your ear or taking hold of your hand as you'd walk to one of the other's home?

Byeongkwan was this little bubbly thing, two years younger than him and boisterous, always playful and cracking jokes.

One could say they were an odd pair of friends, seeing as how Sehyoon was far from being similar to the younger. Rather, he was more timid and spoke quietly, not really one too afraid to speak to others but definitely no social butterfly.

And yet, that is what he believed made them the perfect best friends.

Whenever he'd run out of things to say, Byeongkwan would take over, rambling and chattering on, words adorned by giggles and snorts which made Sehyoon's chest trickle with warmth.

That was the crux of his dilemma. That heat in his heart and that tingle crawling along his skin like dozens of butterflies landing upon him, whenever Byeongkwan would plant a kiss to his cheek.

He wasn't sure what this is all meant, or why the boy who now refused to leave his mind had just texted him:

_I've fallen for you so hard, I can't think straight (;_


	2. ➋

Byeongkwan had seen Sehyoon at his worst.

He had put up with him when he was overwhelmed by loneliness or sadness, supported him when he had tripped and dropped his peach juice all over himself in front of the entire school cafeteria, and didn't judge Sehyoon even that time he'd barged into the older's bedroom, only to find him fervently dancing to a Korean girl group's latest release.

Byeongkwan was simply too kind, too understanding, too open about how he felt towards people, to the point that it was starting to make Sehyoon blush.

The situation was aggravating because he found himself always nitpicking for hints and clues about what it all meant and what the truth was.

His ears burned red too easily around his best friend now, so much so that they could no longer do the choreographies to female groups' songs, whilst only clad in their boxers and the occassional pyjama bottoms, without Sehyoon's gaze sticking on the younger's thin chest or his face tinted pink from exertion.

It was a difficult situation and thus it never left his mind. Even at that moment, him then sitting with his friends and waiting for Byeongkwan to arrive at the school's music room, it pushed him to drift away from the current conversation surrounding him and purse his lips in thought instead.

"Hey, is your name Google? Because you've got everything I'm searching for."

Sehyoon screeched, cupping the ear violated by Byeongkwan's hot breath as he fell off his chair with a thunderous thud, heart racing as he looked up at the dyed-blue-headed male who had lost himself in a fit of laughter.

The older became increasingly aware of the eyes of loitering students now straining on his still collapsed frame, and the redness only crawled further along his skin as the snickering of his friends chimed in, creating a chorus seemingly directed at ridiculing him.

"You're all so cruel," he grumbled with a pout, arranging himself onto his backside and looking at his bruising elbow.

"Sorry, Hyoonie," Byeongkwan apologised, still giggling beneath his breath but now offering a hand to help the other up, "I didn't think you'd fall."

Sehyoon blinked at the hand, almost apprehensive, and Byeongkwan's head went askew, confusion dotting his irises which made the former forcibly clutch at the pale hand and pull himself up.

It means nothing, that lingering touch of his best friend on his arm, as he belatedly slid their palms apart. It means nothing to Byeongkwan and Sehyoon just had to get used to it.


	3. ➌

Books stacked to his left and notebooks to his right, with one of each items opened before him, lines filled with his messy writing as he attempted studying for an upcoming literature test he felt was going to damage his reasonably high grade.

Sehyoon couldn't afford being distracted, he couldn't waste a minute of his time. He had turned off his phone a while ago, and despite the fact that he usually studied with some music playing in the background, he forced himself to get used to the silence of his room.

Time had ticked on but he hadn't payed any mind to the numbness of his legs or the soreness of his eyes; the only sound to bring him out of his focus was the tapping of rushed steps just outside the door, and as he lifted his head to look to it, it flew open, a rush of cool air revealing a dishevelled looking Byeongkwan.

"Kwa－"

"Why is your phone not getting my calls?"

The boy stomped in, a pout on his lips until his gaze skitted around the organised room, noticing the countless textbooks and his friend's phone tossed aside on his lonesome desk.

"You're studying?"

Sehyoon nodded, incapable of speaking because for some reason Byeongkwan had looked worried and his pursed lips were exceptionally cute in the eyes of the older, who found his ears to prickle pink.

At the wordless response, Byeongkwan rubbed at the nape of his neck, apparently bashful, but such an expression didn't last long for he soon tossed himself onto the bottom part of the bed, facing the brunet with a cheeky grin.

"Then I'll watch you until you're free to spend time with me," he announced contentedly, adjusting himself on his side and setting his head into his right palm.

The idea made the pink morph to crimson, and Sehyoon desperately wished for the colour to fade before the other could notice it and understand something he shouldn't.

"Are you sure?" he asked dubiously, wanting for the boy to stay but also not certain he could handle being stared at for much. Sehyoon's fingers began to twiddle with the pen in their grip, his sight darting from the notes in his lap to the band poster above his desk.

It was a bad idea, he noted belatedly, for on said furniture stood a frame holding a picture of him and his best friend from a year ago, when they had visited the new water park and had gotten terribly sunburnt. It was a fond memory nonetheless, though in that moment it made his heart beat faster.

"You'll get bored just sitting there doing nothing, and I'm far from done."

Byeongkwan seemed unfazed, shrugging his shoulders whilst he toed off his sneakers and brought his socked feet onto the sheets, shifting his legs prior to crossing them at the ankles and setting them a hair's breadth apart of Sehyoon's own folded ones.

"As if I could ever get tired of looking at you."

The comment was a sure fire way to bring a vibrant flush to Sehyoon's cheeks, and the boy could do nothing but let out a grunt and dip his head as low as possible, pretending to throw himself back into work while Byeongkwan giggled, dropping down onto his back and sighing with a lingering smile.

A scant number of seconds passed and then he let his gaze turn to the other, who was now flipping pages and scrunching his brows in feigned concentration.

"You're cute when you do that," he mumbled absent-mindedly, bringing Sehyoon's astounded eyes to him.

"Do what?"

"That."


	4. ➍

Sehyoon had never been as grateful as he was then for the coffee shop being so near to their school, sipping on his drink with enjoyment, the whipped cream layered above lining his rosey lips white; it was comforting after the hours of classes that morning.

His friends, Junhee and Donghun, were chatting between themselves, having taken notice of the brunet's weary frame and deciding on permitting him some moments of quiet, scarcely including him so as to not fully cut him out.

He appreciated times like these a lot, when his friends would understand what he needed without him having to directly tell them, and the mostly silent café made him feel at ease with the sweet scents twirling together in the air to create an intoxicating aroma.

Whether for better or worse, however, the person they had been awaiting, Yuchan, had entered the establishment roughly ten minutes later, the tiny bell chiming above him at his arrival, a bouncy Byeongkwan following closely behind.

Sehyoon hardly payed the taller of the two any mind, most of his attention lingering on the shorter who was clad in a vanilla coloured, v-neck sweater, the garment much too large for his petite frame but the boy not bothered by it at all. Sehyoon always thought Byeongkwan looked the cutest in baggy sweaters, especially when the colours were delicate enough to pair nicely with his fair skin and navy locks.

He strained his sight back to the then empty mug he only realised to have been still clutching between his palms, ignoring the inquisitive glance Junhee sent his way.

"Hey guys," Yuchan chirped in greeting, not hesitating prior to dragging a chair over from another table for himself, joining their growing group.

"Hi."

Sehyoon's unfocused response was lost amidst those of the others, as he watched Byeongkwan do as the boy before him had and take a seat over to his friends.

The brunet swallowed with strain when the latter brought the chair to his best friend's side, beaming at him as he plopped down onto it and content to see Sehyoon smiling in return.

"Hey Hyoonie," said boy's stomach did that thing; that weird, annoying somersault like thing, "you look really worn out."

Sehyoon's initial reaction was to fervently nod, but he didn't want to come off as distant and tried his best to formulate a coherent sentence, even if he abruptly felt incredibly timid.

"Y-Yeah," his voice cracked, how embarrassing, "I mean, yeah, lessons today were really boring and dragged on forever. How about yours?"

Byeongkwan hummed as he bobbed his head in understanding.

"That sucks. My day was okay, I guess. Also a bit boring, but I didn't really get too sick of it," and then he paused, eyes darting across the inattentive faces of his friends to land once more upon Sehyoon's own, suddenly stretching his lips into a mischievous smile.

"Hyoonie, are you cold? Because I can be your sweater."

As always, Sehyoon's ears and cheeks betrayed him, and as always he turned his front away, sheltering himself from the boy's view, pretending he needed to cough. Byeongkwan watched on in amusement, snickering when Donghun asked if Sehyoon was alright and the latter said he merely had a tickle in his throat.

Byeongkwan had come to the conclusion that these so-called pick-up lines were lots of fun.


	5. ➎

Sehyoon was worried. The more he thought about it, the more he grew anxious. He knew he was acting increasingly stranger around Byeongkwan, some would even say he was avoiding him to a certain extent, but why? Should he simply ignore these odd things he was feeling for the sake of maintaining his friendship with the younger?

He was almost utterly sure that the boy was only fooling around with him, but that made everything all the worse. Yet he couldn't continue behaving as he was and risk creating a rift between them, which would eventually cause them to part ways. He couldn't allow that to happen.

It was fairly obvious, at that point, that he simply had to stow away whatever was going on with him and look at Byeongkwan with the eyes of a normal, teenage boy. No more thinking he's adorable when he snorts mid-giggle, no more drifting off staring at his face while helping the latter with his homework, no more longing for them to hold hands or cuddle beneath a blanket.

Sehyoon just had to make himself see his crush as who he was － his best friend and nothing more.

He figured this would take some time and that he should begin working on it as soon as possible, to liberate himself of this muddled state he was trapped in, quickly, and he so offered for them to meet up at the library down the road from Byeongkwan's home.

The boy agreed with eagerness Sehyoon hadn't anticipated, but the message concluded with exclamation points and a smiley face made a fuzzy sensation bloom in his chest.

_Right, no more fuzzy feelings either. _

Getting ready to leave, he forcibly stopped himself from finicking about with his outfit in the full-length mirror, ignoring the voice in his head which asked whether the black jeans were too tight or whether the hoodie made him look fatter than he was. He was only meeting his best friend after all. He wasn't going to see a pretty girl or going on a date. No, it was just a casual hangout at the library.

_Right_, he murmured to himself, _it was only Byeongkwan._

Reaching the library, he heaved a deep breath and strode in, instantly spotting a familiar blob of blue sitting at the table they typically occupied when there. Attempting to soothe his racing heartbeat, he mentally encouraged himself the entire walk to the spot, smiling when the sound of his steps made the younger's head rise and subsequently wave at him with a smile.

"You came quickly," Byeongkwan commented, arms folding themselves atop his open textbook while Sehyoon set his backpack on a free space of the table.

"I wasn't doing anything, so I just chucked my clothes on and left home."

That statement was for the most part true, even if he had spent some extra minutes on arranging his hair and brushing his teeth, but what did that matter?

"Ah, okay."

A pause, and then Byeongkwan lowered his eyes back to the words printed on his book, sighing briefly after.

"Which subject are you going to be doing?"

The question startled Sehyoon who had already begun adjusting to the soundless presence of the boy opposite him. Itching at his cheek with one hand and unzipping his bag with the other, he fished out a notebook and a pencil case, throwing the former open at a random page and ducking his head low.

"Just going to prepare some history notes and map out the latest chapter."

Nodding, Byeongkwan shifted in his seat, irises tracing the movements of Sehyoon's hand that had already begun scribbling.

"Hey," he spoke up some moments later, a faint excitement to see his friend's reaction already flickering alive in his mind, "kiss me if I'm wrong, but dinosaurs still exist, right?"

Sehyoon stiffened, but his chin didn't leave his neck and his hand soon regained its flow.

"What kind of question is that?" he asked with dry amusement, "Of course they don't exist anymore."

"Really? I wish they did. . . Guess you have to kiss me now."

That succeeded in bringing Sehyoon's sight to Byeongkwan's, apple cheeks glowing a way that made the younger intrigued.

"K-Kwan. . ." whatever else he meant to say had drifted off into whispers, gulped back down into his lungs.

"What?"

"Nothing."


	6. ➏

A number of hours went by and before the darkness of night could fully settle, shrouding the streets in its shadows and looming figures, Sehyoon offered Byeongkwan to go over to his home for a movie night, seeing as how it was a Saturday and the younger didn't have to be home at a certain time.

Quite obviously, Byeongkwan was eager to say yes, and with no wastage of even a minute, the two packed their things and headed out, waving goodbye to the librarian who smiled from behind a semi-circular desk.

"What kind of film do you want to watch?" the shorter of them asked, walking slightly ahead but backwards, so as to watch Sehyoon while doing so.

"We could watch a comedy one, or maybe fantasy! How about horror? Your parents sleep early so they won't know."

Sehyoon huffed out a chuckle at the suggestion, rolling his eyes as he bounced the hefty weight of his bag on his back.

"You, watching a horror film?" he asked almost mockingly but with no ill-intent, "Do you remember how you reacted the last time?"

The forced recollection of the scene made Byeongkwan scowl petulantly, lips pursed and arms crossing over his chest.

"I thought we agreed we wouldn't be mentioning that ever again."

"And I thought we agreed you wouldn't be watching any more horror movies, but here we are."

Byeongkwan dragged out a groan, frustrated and bashful, his skin a soft pink hue Sehyoon wished he could admire in better lighting than that given by lamp posts and the moon.

"I was young back then, though!"

Sehyoon gave him a warning look, an eyebrow arched and one corner of his mouth pulled.

"It was two months ago, you baby."

"I'm not a － Woah!"

The back of his sneakers caught onto an elevated brick of the sidewalk, the boy momentarily losing his balance and tethering backwards until hands bigger than his own gripped his shoulders, strong and steadying him.

Byeongkwan gulped, hands up and fisted at his torso while his gaze drifted to meet the one of his best friend, amused but layered with something he couldn't comprehend.

"Yes, you _are_ a baby."

In his final act of rebellion, the blue head stuck his tongue out, causing Sehyoon to sigh and let his touch slip away, carrying on with walking as if it were pointless to scold him.

The shape of his home gradually drew nearer, and all the while he unlocked the door, Byeongkwan peered over from behind like an excited puppy, being the first to run inside.

It went as it usually did, Sehyoon's mother greeting them and offering to make them snacks, Sehyoon saying there was no need for he could do it himself, then her saying goodnight and leaving them to their own devices.

They sat upon the couch across from the television, a bowl of paprika crisps set between them and a blanket over their legs.

Sehyoon was doing his utmost to ignore how close their sides were, how their thighs were almost rubbing, their elbows frequently bumping, and the way Byeongkwan would throw himself against the older whenever he laughed too hard.

They had settled on a rom-com, and though Sehyoon didn't like them much, the endearing sound of Byeongkwan muffling his giggles in his palms made it worth it.

The latter had allowed his head to tip down onto Sehyoon's shoulder, one hand sneaking back and forth from the rapidly emptying bowl, unbeknownst to him how his friend had stiffened at their occurring intimacy.

Just as the protagonists were having a romantic scene, Byeongkwan tilted his face up, his breath brushing along Sehyoon's neck, which made the boy look down at him in return.

"Hyoon, are you a cat? Because I'm feline a connection between us."

Unfortunately, Sehyoon didn't give a reaction the younger expected. Though he did blush, his lips went ajar prior to snapping shut, his eyebrows drawing close enough to form shallow wrinkles.

"Byeongkwan,"

He panicked at hearing his full name － they scarcely ever used anything but nicknames for one another.

"When you say all these things, you're only joking, right?"

The question left Byeongkwan taken aback, something stirring in his chest until he unblocked the muscle in his neck enough to give a brash nod.

"Of course I am," he was quick to add in affirmation, growing concerned as his words brought a dullness to Sehyoon's irises he despised seeing.

"Why? Is something wrong?"

"No, nothing."

Sehyoon didn't spare him a glance until the end credits of the movie played, and Byeongkwan felt a knot form in his stomach, questions beginning to brew and a seed of concern burrowing into his chest.


	7. ➐

Apparently it had become Byeongkwan's turn to figit with continuous worry, without fully grasping what was the cause of it.

Sehyoon was acting distant, not in a necassarily cold or rude way, but he avoided them touching whenever he could, hanging out with him more than he needed to, and even messaged him less online. Byeongkwan wondered what he had done wrong. Had he offended the older somehow?

Looking back at his words, he couldn't find anything wrong with them, but that didn't bring him any relief.

The last bell had rung, indicating the start of recreation and the opportunity Byeongkwan had been waiting for.

Sprinting from his class, backpack flopping from the strained strap on his one shoulder, he skidded around a corner － only marginally missing hitting a senior in the face with the arm he had raised for balance at the sharp turn － and scurried into the cafeteria.

He knew where Sehyoon would be and upon spotting him with the rest of their friends, the younger didn't hesitate an instant as he let his feet carry him over to the table with lumbering steps.

His panting and the shuffling of his bag brought a good number of eyes on him, including those of his best friend who watched him in mild concern, whilst the rest looked at him with amusement flashing in their eyes.

"Kwan, what －"

"Hyoonie, I need to tell you that you're like a dictionary. You －" he heaved a heavy breath, "You add meaning to my life."

Sehyoon remained immobile, blinking up at the blue head with his mouth gaping and his hands still clasping his sandwich.

Amidst the white noise in his head, his eyes strained upon those earnest ones of the younger, he could hear Donghun's voice whispering something in the background, a phrase akin to, "He ran all the way here just to tell him another pick-up line?"

The brunet's stupor dissolved. Right, this was simply another one of the kid's lines. It meant nothing.

Feigning a smile, he proceeded with removing the foil from around his bread and taking a bite, focusing on the food rather than the boy who stubbornly stared at him with a piercing gaze.

"Thanks, Byeongkwan, you too."

No, no, something was still wrong. What was he supposed to do?

Byeongkwan shucked his bag to the ground, uncaring about the loud noise it made and how many more students were looking his way in nosey curiousity.

His friends were paying attention to him again, but Sehyoon had remained with his head down, and this irritated him to no end, an irking sensation coursing through his veins.

"Hyoon, when a penguin finds a mate they stay with them for the rest of their life," he began, almost slapping his hands down onto the table and leaning closer to Sehyoon, who startled in his seat, "Will you be my penguin?"

A series of coos and cheers aroused from their group and some who could overhear what he said, but Byeongkwan payed them no mind. Sehyoon's face flushed a brighter red than it had ever had, extending from his ears to his neck, coating the entirity of his face.

"K-Kwan, stop － stop joking."

"I'm not joking."

Sehyoon coughed, a fist covering his mouth as he did, putting down his food and dusting his free palm on his thigh.

"What do you mean?"

"Forget what I said last week. Whatever I said that upset you, forget it, okay?"

What was he supposed to say? Had his behaviour really made Byeongkwan panic to the point of saying these cheesy phrases in front of whoever cared to look and listen? Would he react the same if he were aware of the reason behind Sehyoon's actions?

"It's not your fault, Byeongkwan," he murmured, letting his sight flicker to the boy in question and then to the side, "Don't worry too much. We're alright."

"But are _you_ alright?"

The question made Sehyoon's chest tighten, his heart stiffen and his features turn bleak. Perhaps he'll have to say something after all.

"Let's talk later."

Byeongkwan was as persistent as ever, supported by the fact that he believed he was being blown off and the issue would be swept under a rug － which he wouldn't let happen. Narrowing his eyes to mere slits, he tensed his jaw and took a firm hold of his friend's wrist, bringing him to dropping the food.

"Let's make 'later' now, then."


	8. ➑

Muffled chatter and mild gasps were left in their wake as Byeongkwan tugged Sehyoon along through the cafeteria, gaze set intently on the exit while Sehyoon's own snapped around in a bashful panic, releasing sounds akin to squeaks whenever he met sights with another student.

The younger remained undeterred, and it made Sehyoon ashamed, for wasn't he the almost-adult of the two?

"Kwan, can we －"

Said boy pushed open the doors and stomped into the hallway, proceeding to lead his friend down the right and around a bend, the way to the school's field, which was allowing sunlight to cascade upon the tiles like silk threads of yellow.

It wasn't until they had stopped beside the bleachers and Byeongkwan had confirmed that nobody else was around, that the latter let go of Sehyoon and turned to stare at him with an intensity unparalleled.

"Hyoonie, what's going on?"

His question was direct, no beating around the bush or stalling for time. Sehyoon could see the determination ablaze in his eyes but he wasn't sure he had any of his own.

"What's wrong?"

The brunet swallowed, trying to wet the tongue which now felt so heavy and dry in his mouth.

"Is it because of my jokes?"

He gave a feeble flinch and, noticing this, Byeongkwan interpreted it as an affirmative.

"I thought you liked them, since they made you blush and all that. Aren't they funny?"

Sehyoon scowled as he scruffed his stained converse at the ground, "Don't call them that."

A look of confusion was quick to mark itself on the other boy's face, his head askew and his brows partially furrowed.

"What do you mean?"

"Don't call them jokes. Don't say that they're funny. _They're not funny._"

Byeongkwan's shoulders began to sag, his lips parting to form a circle prior to letting slip out a meek, "Oh."

"They're not funny, because I take them seriously."

Sehyoon found the momentary courage needed to lock eyes with those of his best friend, his crush, and aside from his own erratic heartbeat and rapid breathing, he couldn't hear much else.

"What － What do you －"

"I mean," he looked down at the hand which had been clutching his wrist just some moments ago, tempted, apprehensive, until he snapped out and took hold of it, grasping Byeongkwan's left hand and holding it between their chests.

"I like you, Kwan. I like you a lot, and everytime you told me one of your stupid lines my face would burn from how red it would become, and I felt so happy, even if I couldn't understand why at first."

"You like me?"

Sehyoon fervently nodded, jaw tightened as he attempted remaining resolute with his statement.

"You're the best friend I've ever had, and will probably ever have," he continued, grip growing more secure, "You're like a playful kitten when you're hyper, and you're really cute when you're sleepy. You're fun to be around and you never judge me or criticise me for anything. You're adorable when you scrunch your nose because Science is hard to understand, and when you smile I feel like I can't breathe properly. I － I really do like you, Kwannie."

By the end of the older's words, the both of them were the vibrant colour of roses in spring, and just like roses bloom, so did an ineffable emotion fill Byeongkwan's chest.

"I had no idea. I'm sorry."

Sehyoon hurriedly shook his head, sight flickering to his hand which held that of the shorter.

"You don't need to say sorry, really. It's not your fault."

Nodding, cheeks still a vivid fuchsia, Byeongkwan made his fingers entangle with those of his best friend, watching them with an air of intrigue until his irises lifted once more.

"Since when?"

He didn't need to be more specific, Sehyoon understood and felt his mind whir to life at having to recollect his thoughts.

"I don't know exactly when it happened, but it's been like this for a while."

Byeongkwan's lips curled into a soft smile, a somewhat content hum leaving him as he did so, and Sehyoon couldn't help but think of a purring cat in comparison.

There was a beat of silence, and though he was still scared, he also felt encouraged. Focusing on the warmth their hands shared, he exhaled through his nose and gave a hopeful smile, adorned with eager eyes and pink-tinted ears.

"Kwannie, if I were to ask you out on a date, would your answer be the same as your answer to this question?"

Byeongkwan's mind was a puddle of slush, eyes unfocused and cheeks blooming red anew until a mischievous grin stitched into his lips, a giggle soon bubbling from between them.

"I see you have learnt my techniques," he joked, playfully prodding the older's chest with his index finger.

"I guess," he let his words linger in the air between them for a few seconds longer, and then grew antsy, fidgeting with his touch on the shorter's hand.

"So, what's your answer?"

"You didn't give me much choice, did you?"

As if only then realising it, Sehyoon's eyes widened, and suddenly he looked guilty, letting Byeongkwan's hand fall out of his hold and his arm dangle limply at his side.

"That's － That's true."

Byeongkwan scoffed at how gullible the latter was, rolling his eyes before grasping the older's hand again and giving the top of it a peck.

"Idiot, I would say yes." 

**Author's Note:**

> thanks a lot for reading!


End file.
